3 Steps to Hold a Successful Contactless Spring Fundraiser
Terri Lynn's Online Store Program makes contactless fundraising easy for any group, learn how to get started now with no cost to your organization.
Post Date: Dec 31 2020
Aside from the fall fundraising season, the springtime can be some of the most lucrative fundraising times of the year. Unfortunately, the pandemic has also forced most fundraising groups to drastically change their efforts, especially if in-person events were previously a big part of their yearly plans.
At Terri Lynn, we understand that fundraising remains an important source of financial support for community groups, churches, schools and other charitable nonprofits.
This is why we’ve made our Online Store Program easy for any fundraising group to set one up quickly and begin selling online, with no cost to their organization.
A Terri Lynn Online Store is a safe method for fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a great way to raise money this spring. With a Online Store, there’s no face-to-face selling, delivery is contactless, and your store can be open and available anytime, 24/7. Plus, purchasers can have their items shipped anywhere in the United States year-round for one flat fee, making it an easy way to send their tasty Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, and other springtime holiday gifts.
The entire product catalog—filled with over 40 premium nuts, gourmet confections and savory snack mixes—is
available for your supporters anytime, and there’s no need to pre-order
or be inconvenienced with excess inventory on-hand.
We know that spring can be another successful time of the year to sell products to raise money for important causes, and want 2021 to be no exception! So we’ve put together the tools and products you need to easily manage a profitable virtual fundraiser this year. Follow our simple 3-step guide below, and start your fundraiser on the right track to meet or exceed its spring 2021 goals.
Step 1. Set Up Your Terri Lynn Fundraiser Online Store
With a free Terri Lynn Online Store, you have everything you need to manage a successful virtual fundraiser—all in one place. Our Online Store program easily handles showcasing the products to your supporters online, taking orders without paper forms, processing payments with credit cards, and shipping orders to your supporters via USPS. This fundraising program is fast, easy and safe!
Setting up your Terri Lynn Online Store can be completed in minutes.
We offer free, easy-to-use online tools and templates, along with our Dedicated Fundraising Experts who are here to help answer your questions along the way. Setup is fast, and personalization of your Terri Lynn Online Store is simple. All you need to do is upload your logo and photo, share a bit about your fundraising cause, choose your profit margin (20%, 30% or 40%), and then spread the word about your Terri Lynn Online Store using your unique website URL link and our free email and social media tools. Then once your supporters begin placing orders, your organization will be mailed a monthly profit check.
Without the need for face-to-face or hands-on organizing, selling, delivering and handling physical products, order forms, brochures or money, it’s truly a safe and effective way to boost your fundraising efforts this spring.
Ready to start raising your funds safely online?
Step 2. Prepare Your Marketing Materials
When publicizing a virtual fundraiser, it’s important to provide ample opportunities for your supporters to find and click on your Terri Lynn Fundraising Online Store link. Because of this, you may want to consider moving the majority of your marketing efforts to online platforms, where clicking a direct link to your website is easy.
Virtual or digital marketing platforms can include:
- Social media, like Facebook
- Digital newsletters
- Community online calendar listings
- Online media stories (like your local newspaper)
- Texting
If this is your organization’s first time going virtual with your fundraising efforts, remember that you may also need to update your volunteer and sales promotional materials from last year. Your changes for 2021 might include explaining how to cut and paste a link in an email, how to use social media to promote the sale this spring, why you are including the free graphics you downloaded from the Terri Lynn site to help promote the sale, and emphasizing that your fundraising event is happening online this year. Be sure to include the link to your Terri Lynn Fundraising Online Store in your marketing materials!
Be sure to download our free promotion kit here.
Step 3. Plan Your Spring Fundraising Calendar
In this upcoming spring when many things are likely still “new” for this time of year due to the pandemic, it can be beneficial to plan your fundraising calendar well ahead of time. Planning ahead not only sets you up for a stress-free and successful fundraising event, it can also help you brainstorm potential challenges and be ready for whatever the spring season brings.
Whether your fundraiser is centered on upcoming holidays (like Valentine’s Day, Easter or Mother’s Day), or your own annual calendar (possibly board elections, annual garage sale, 5k run), you can plan for activities in the months, weeks and days ahead and prepare for a fundraising event that checks all your preparation boxes.
Below is a sample prep calendar for a springtime fundraiser. Note that you can extend the lead time for as long as you have, and getting the word out early will help solidify your fundraiser’s new details in your supporters’ minds. If you’re planning for an event in May, for example, it can be helpful to take the first planning steps as early as the start of the new year!
- 2 Months Before: Set up your Terri Lynn Fundraising Online Store, make a list of this year’s changes and needs, and communicate new roles and duties with your volunteers. Start planning for new marketing materials, and utilize our free Terri Lynn promotional tools to create flyers, social media posts, email graphics, and more.
- 1 Month Before: Begin promoting the fundraising event on all communication channels, including email, social media and online community calendars.
- 2 Weeks Before: Walk through a final testing of the systems you’ve set up. If you’re planning to “go live” on Facebook or Zoom, do a test run with a small audience. Preview your emails, test links, and feel free to reach out to our team of Dedicated Fundraising Experts if you have any last-minute questions before your fundraiser goes live!
- 1 Week Before: Ramp up your promotions and communication with past supporters. Build on the excitement of your new event!
- Day Of Event/Going Live: Plan to make yourself available if your volunteers or supporters have questions about this year’s virtual changes. You can also give updates on social media throughout the day, and announce when you’ve reached various fundraising milestones. If you’re going “live” with a virtual event, have fun making this year’s occasion memorable!
- 1 Week After: Send a thank you email or letter to those who gave support this year. You can also send a video recording to everyone you invited (if you went “live” on event day), or send a post-event survey to those who participated.
Did you know, your Terri Lynn Fundraiser Dashboard has easy, one-click buttons to:
- Share your Online Store url on Facebook and Twitter
- Share your Online Store url by email
- Send a thank you note to a supporter who made a purchase
Ready To Start Your Spring Fundraiser?
All in all, there are plenty of benefits to hosting this year’s spring fundraiser online. Virtual fundraising requires no in-person selling, offers safe and contactless delivery, and—with a Terri Lynn Online Store—there’s no additional cost to your organization.
You’ll also likely find that you have a shorter to-do checklist. Virtual fundraisers require fewer volunteers than usual for an in-person event, and you can sell year-round with easy set up and maintenance. Without the need for renting event venues, pre-purchasing items, providing transportation and more, you can also plan for a profit-margin that reflects far fewer costs.
If you’re ready to start raising money for your group this spring, our team is here to get you started. Instead of postponing or cancelling your typical springtime fundraising activities, we want to help you make 2021 better than ever! We’re here to guide you through the quick-and-easy setup process, and customize a plan to help you reach your 2021 fundraising goals.
Start Your Online Store Fundraiser
Visit our contact page, or call us at 1-800-323-0775 today!